Boeing has decided to put development of proposed 747X super jumbo on the back burner and instead pursue a new, midsize jet capable flying very long routes at near the speed of sound. In unveiling an artist's rendition of the eye-catching 20XX model Thursday, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Chief Executive Alan Mulally couldn't resist referring it as the "sonic cruiser."

Resembling dart, the proposed model features a sharply angled "double-delta" wing at the rear of the fuselage with twin vertical fins rising from two rear-mounted turbine engines. Two small wings, called canards, extend the forward part of the fuselage near the cockpit.

Mulally said the airplane will be able fly 20% faster than existing jet models, at Mach 0.95. That is 95% the speed of sound or roughly 740 miles hour. It could cut 3 hours off a flight from the West Coast to Europe, he said.

Existing materials, engines, avionics and manufacturing methods be used. "The real innovation is in the innovative configuration," Mulally said.

He predicted Boeing will introduce the 20XX for about the same cost even less than the company spent developing the 777.

Analysts peg those costs at about $7 billion, and they estimate it will cost Boeing $10 billion to bring the 20XX to market. Deliveries are expected 2008.

The new jet, comparable in size a twin-aisle 767, will feature:

• Seats for 100 to 300 passengers
  
• Range exceeding 9,000 nautical miles
  
• Cruising altitude of 41,000 feet
  

In suspending work on the 747X, a stretch version of Boeing's largest model, Boeing abdicated the market for jets with 500-plus seats to Airbus, which developing the A380. Airbus has 60 orders for the A380; Boeing had none for its proposed 747X.

Boeing's new strategy reflects a different outlook in how global air travel will evolve.

"It gets the heart of what they've been saying about the future of air travel," said analyst Peter Jacobs of Ragen Mackenzie. "The biggest growth will be in long range, point-to-point service."

Boeing anticipates that airlines will want to fly routes as Seattle to Singapore, Denver to Shanghai or Los Angeles to Paris with a fast, midsize jetliner, and that it can sell many more midsize, very fast and very long-range jets super jumbo jets.

"We've talked to a majority our customers, and they think the 747 size, the way it is today, is the sweet spot, kind of the center of the big airplane market," Mulally said. "It doesn't sound like they want a lot real big airplanes. At least that's what they told us, and that's why we're doing we're doing."

Boeing has decided to put development of its proposed 747X super jumbo on the back burner and instead pursue a new, midsize jet capable of flying very long routes at near the speed of sound. In unveiling an artist's rendition of the eye-catching 20XX model Thursday, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Chief Executive Alan Mulally couldn't resist referring to it as the "sonic cruiser."

Resembling a dart, the proposed model features a sharply angled "double-delta" wing at the rear of the fuselage with twin vertical fins rising from two rear-mounted turbine engines. Two small wings, called canards, extend from the forward part of the fuselage near the cockpit.

Mulally said the airplane will be able to fly 20% faster than existing jet models, at Mach 0.95. That is 95% the speed of sound or roughly 740 miles per hour. It could cut 3 hours off a flight from the West Coast to Europe, he said.

Existing materials, engines, avionics and manufacturing methods will be used. "The real innovation is in the innovative configuration," Mulally said.

He predicted Boeing will introduce the 20XX for about the same cost or even less than the company spent developing the 777.

Analysts peg those costs at about $7 billion, and they estimate it will cost Boeing $10 billion to bring the 20XX to market. Deliveries are expected by 2008.

The new jet, comparable in size to a twin-aisle 767, will feature:

• Seats for 100 to 300 passengers
  
• Range exceeding 9,000 nautical miles
  
• Cruising altitude of 41,000 feet
  

In suspending work on the 747X, a stretch version of Boeing's largest model, Boeing abdicated the market for jets with 500-plus seats to Airbus, which is developing the A380. Airbus has 60 orders for the A380; Boeing had none for its proposed 747X.

Boeing's new strategy reflects a different outlook in how global air travel will evolve.

"It gets to the heart of what they've been saying about the future of air travel," said analyst Peter Jacobs of Ragen Mackenzie. "The biggest growth will be in long range, point-to-point service."

Boeing anticipates that airlines will want to fly routes such as Seattle to Singapore, Denver to Shangai or Los Angeles to Paris with a fast, midsize jetliner, and that it can sell many more midsize, very fast and very long-range jets than super jumbo jets.

"We've talked to a majority of our customers, and they think the 747 size, the way it is today, is the sweet spot, kind of the center of the big airplane market," Mulally said. "It doesn't sound like they want a lot of real big airplanes. At least that's what they told us, and that's why we're doing what we're doing."